Among the 4 that come to mind - B&S, EnRogues, 7 Turns, & HTN - Brothers & Sisters is the most special (albums w/new personnel) - nothing tops Mr. Peach for me

Do you put

Win,Lose or Draw
Play All Night
One Way Out

below Reach For The Sky and Brothers of the Road,or did they just slip your mind?

I like Enlightened Rogues more than most people.

Play all night is archival, not technically a new release. Some view Wipe The Windows as archival because the band has walked over the Gregg Allman Scotter Herring fiasco and the last tour not leaving much money to be divided because they spent so much on airplanes, drugs, limousines, hotel suites and Gregg said " Our roadies had roadies we were paying for."
But Capricorn records said it was a new release and Chuck Leavell helped guide the song selection.

I forgot about the other two. I'll fix that.

1) Eat A Peach

2) Brothers and Sisters

3) LAFE

4) Shades of Two Worlds

5) Hittin' The Note

6) Idlewild South

7) It just doesn't matter

The Allman Brothers Band

I am amazed that this record is only mentioned once here, in the OP and clocks in at #5 in the OP list. Their debut record, featuring Whipping Post and Dreams.

[Edited on 2/17/2020 by BrerRabbit]

The Allman Brothers Band

I am amazed that this record is only mentioned once here, in the OP and clocks in at #5 in the OP list. Their debut record, featuring Whipping Post and Dreams.
[Edited on 2/17/2020 by BrerRabbit]

#1 Studio Album for me.

My fav new release(that never got done) was the one they were going to make after Hittin The Note! 😛 😛 😛 😉 😉 😉 😉

Its a shame in away in the last 25 yrs of that band ,only 4 studio albums were released. I guess they made up for it with some very stellar Instant Live stuff.

#1 Studio Album for me.

Same here. By miles. The Allman Brothers Band stands alone as their most cohesive, powerful, and original recording.

It is certainly not their most feelgood or listenable record - some of it is terrifying, blues on steroids - the passion and agony of that record was impossible to repeat. No subsequent recordings come close. I think they peaked on their first release.

The 2012 Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs remaster of this is phenomenal. Out of print but they are floating around

https://www.discogs.com/The-Allman-Brothers-Band-The-Allman-Brothers-Band/release/4291949

The MFSL Idlewild South remaster is excellent too - the old CD is awful thin, I found it unlistenable.

[Edited on 2/17/2020 by BrerRabbit]

[Edited on 2/17/2020 by BrerRabbit]

#1 Studio Album for me.

Same here. By miles. The Allman Brothers Band stands alone as their most cohesive, powerful, and original recording.

It is certainly not their most feelgood or listenable record - some of it is terrifying, blues on steroids - the passion and agony of that record was impossible to repeat. No subsequent recordings come close. I think they peaked on their first release.

The 2012 Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs remaster of this is phenomenal. Out of print but they are floating around

https://www.discogs.com/The-Allman-Brothers-Band-The-Allman-Brothers-Band/release/4291949

[Edited on 2/17/2020 by BrerRabbit]

I agree. If I had to pick one, that's it.

Its not always the case, but there is saying the first one is always the best , because they have had a lifetime to make it ,up to that point.

If I had to pick one, that's it.

I've easily fed jukeboxes a couple grand playing "Dreams"

[Edited on 2/17/2020 by BrerRabbit]

Eat a Peach is my favorite but also the perfect intro to the ABB. You get their Fillmore blues of One Way Out and Trouble No More, you get big country ballad of Melissa, great psycedelic intrumental of Les Bres, plus rockers Stand Back and Ain't Waisting Time No More. Mountain Jam may be for the fully initiated but holy cow is it amazing if you can wrap your head around it. Add in the delicate beauty of Little Marta.

And on top of all that you get Blue Sky, one of the great rock, country and jam songs of all time.

And I'll add that Win Lose or Draw has the title track, Can't Lose What You Never Had and High Falls....those 3 alone make it essential owning/listening for any serious ABB fan. I cannot say the same for Peakin' so it would rank much higher than that (Peakin may be only ahead of the two Arista albums).

Its not always the case, but there is saying the first one is always the best , because they have had a lifetime to make it ,up to that point.

There is no pressure from outside. No record company, no fan expectations, no mountain of cocaine and groupies or other business distractions.

Pretty damn hard to come up with a "classic album" under those circumstances.

Often bands that had a string of great albums at the beginning of their careers had most of the songs for 3 albums before the first ever came out.

Van Halen is a perfect example of that. Most of the songs for the first 4 albums existed long before they ever came out. By Diver Down, they had run out of those tunes and it showed. They were left with the weakest of the bunch and covers.

Zeppelin II is the same to a degree where they had been working on some of the tunes before.

Also bands in the late 60s/70s pumped out albums fast. They were able to from a stockpile of tunes. Plus the cocaine initially helped them before it eventually takes its' toll. LOL - sad but true.

Its not always the case, but there is saying the first one is always the best , because they have had a lifetime to make it ,up to that point.

Van Halen is a perfect example of that. Most of the songs for the first 4 albums existed long before they ever came out. By Diver Down, they had run out of those tunes and it showed. They were left with the weakest of the bunch and covers.
.

Yeah....I think I have heard of read that before some place. Diver Down was my gateway album to VH. I know it's not a fan favorite, but it's probably one of my fav from them.

People give them crap about A Different Kind Of Truth, because they pulled from old songs/ material long ago . Who cares? I was just happy to get new stuff, and it was pretty dang good in my opinion. I have no problem playing that one.

My faves:

1. EAT A PEACH
My favorite album, as a patchwork it really offers everything you would want from an ABB album.

2. AT FILLMORE EAST
The greatest band in the land at their absolute best.

3. THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
It's amazing how good they were so early. It's missing a Dickey Betts break to break up the intensity.

4. IDLEWILD SOUTH
Dickey Betts emerges as a major part of the ABB's sound, a much more diverse album.

5. BROTHERS & SISTERS
An album full of joy in the face of tragedy.

6. WHERE IT ALL BEGINS
My favorite post-reunion album, I think it's their most consistent Warren & Woody album.

7. THE FOX BOX
A beast of a release, just an epic collection of shows when this lineup was at its best.

8. WIN, LOSE, OR DRAW
"Can't Lose" and "High Falls", and the underrated "Just Another Love Song", are that good, it makes up for the weaker tunes.

9. FIRST SET
Great timing for a live album, in the same spirit as At Fillmore East in that it wasn't just live versions of recent tunes.

10. WIPE THE WINDOWS
An excellent showcase of a great era.

11. SHADES OF TWO WORLDS
A little uneven, but when it was good, it was great.

12. SEVEN TURNS
Some excellent fresh tunes from a band that was done dusting off the cobwebs.

13. HITTIN' THE NOTE
Half a fantastic album, half solid filler.

14. 2ND SET
Fantastic performances, but half of the songs were live versions of songs they performed live in the studio. It's clear not as much thought was put into this release. The acoustic "Liz Reed" is great, but was clearly tacked on since it was already 3 years old.

15. ENLIGHTENED ROGUES
"Just Ain't Easy" is great, the rest is merely pleasant.

16. ONE WAY OUT
Great performances, but not much purpose. Made irrelevant by all of the subsequent live recordings.

17. PEAKIN' AT THE BEACON
A massive disappointment considering Derek & Dickey had put on some solid shows during their brief time together. It opens with a strong "Don't Want You No More", but sonic quality detracts from any strong moments which is few. Clearly released to prove a point and satisfy a business obligation.

18. BROTHERS OF THE ROAD
Gets points for "Never Knew How Much", in spite of "Straight From the Heart".

19. REACH FOR THE SKY
Dearth of anything positive. Just awful. "Madness of the West" and "Hell & High Water" are impossible to listen to.

[Edited on 2/18/2020 by porkchopbob]

Porkchopbob. I like your list and your commentary. One of the best 1989 and afterward shows I saw was Derek and Dickey in 1999. Even Butch Trucks posted on the site that Derek had really inspired Dickey and reminds Dickey and all of the original lineup guys of having Duane Allman in the band especially when Derek plays side on the old stuff.

But the next year Dickey was uneven and Derek has since admitted some nights Dickey just couldn't bring it. But when Dickey did, it was a joy for Derek to play Duane's parts on those old songs Derek grew up with and to play them with Duane's guitar partner Dickey Betts.

Peakin' At The Beacon was to get the band out of the Epic contract. They owed Epic one more and after 1994 they refused to do another unless they got a better deal. Warren listed the band deciding not to record a new album after 1994 as one of the reasons he and Allen decided to quit. Epic finally agreed to let it be live if it was from the Beacon. Peakin' was produced by the band and Bud Snyder and it was lifted from soundboard tapes, not a remote truck outside like Fillmore East and it shows. Personally I like Standback from Peakin' and Seven Turns is good and the first two tracks are good as you said but they had already appeared live on Wipe the Windows.

One Way Out was released on the new lable as Butch put it, so they would have a good album from Beacon shows because Peakin' was the not good. Neither album sold well with Peakin' being the band's least selling new release. Both albums were flops commercially as was 2nd set but 2nd set did sell North of 50,000 copies.

The band promoted First set as part one of a two parter. But before Second set was released, they didnt want to do another album studio or live until Epic gave a better deal. Apparently the four originals held that position and Warren didnt like it. The band had two shows set to be recorded for FM radio broadcasts so they got Tom Dowd to produce them in New Jersey and North Carolina so they could take some tracks for 2nd set without giving Epic a full bore live album. Liz Reed was from an acoustic special release recorded in LA with just Gregg, Dickey, Warren and Allen. Butch and Jaimoe didn't play. 15,000 copies were pressed and most sold. Bud Synder produced. So yes the acoustic Liz Reed had already been released. Bottom line is 2nd set was a patch job to fulfill the second set live promised Epic. They didnt even take a new picture for the cover. It's the same one on First set buy with Thom Doucette removed. 2nd Set and Peakin' were short cut, paste and glue releases. It's very surprising they low balled those but they were mad at Epic.

All the Winterland Ball room tracks on Wipe The Window, Check The Oil, Dollar Gas were part of a radio broadcast that was coast to coast December 31st, 1973. So that tactic had been used before.

Peakin' At The Beacon was to get the band out of the Epic contract. They owed Epic one more and after 1994 they refused to do another unless they got a better deal. Warren listed the band deciding not to record a new album after 1994 as one of the reasons he and Allen decided to quit. Epic finally agreed to let it be live if it was from the Beacon. Peakin' was produced by the band and Bud Snyder and it was lifted from soundboard tapes, not a remote truck outside like Fillmore East and it shows. Personally I like Standback from Peakin' and Seven Turns is good and the first two tracks are good as you said but they had already appeared live on Wipe the Windows.

Peakin' was also released to prove a point: I recall both parties eager for fans to listen to the tapes. Agree about "Seven Turns", but interesting you dig that album's "Stand Back", I always thought that was a train wreck. But to be fair, I always felt "Stand Back" sounded stuck in the mud and too heavy with 2 guitars. It lost all of its funkiness. My favorite post-Gregg Allman Tour version is Derek & Susan on All My Friends